3D printers would soon be playing an even more important role in the U.S. Army. Realising that 3D printers are versatile tools that can create on demand parts, tools and even the possibility of printing food for the soldiers on the ground, the U.S. Army are also moving to another level, on-demand 3D printed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or drones as we call them these days.

In a demonstration at the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiments (AEWE) in Fort Benning, Georgia in December 2016, the engineers from the Army Research Laboratory flight tested a3-D-printed drone, the On-Demand Small Unmanned Aircraft System (ODSUAS), showing that it is very much doable in a report at the Army.mil website:

"We've created a process for converting Soldier mission needs into a 3-D printed On-Demand Small Unmanned Aircraft System, or ODSUAS, as we've been calling it," said Eric Spero, team leader and project manager.

Whenever an army patrol requires UAV support, they can input their requirements into the mission planning system which will then determine the optimal configuration for the drone and have it ready in 24-hours. For the demonstration, the team spent hours working and testing on the design so it would work as they wanted it to be.

They received feedback on the need to reduce the sound produced by the drone while in flight, increasing payload capacity, and improving agility, all important in having a drone useful and has better survivability in the hostile environment.

Apart from on demand drones, 3D printers will be able to print out whatever is needed by the soldiers for a mission, ranging from weapons mounts, which was also demonstrated and impressed the soldiers present.

The engineers plan on continuing to collaborate with the Aerospace Systems Design Lab of Georgia Tech to refine the technologies that soldiers will need.

Top photo: John Gerdes, from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, explains the capabilities of the ODSUAS during the AEWE, at Fort Benning, Georgia, last 1 December 2016. (U.S. Army Photo by Angie dePuydt)